Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as a “soft lilac.” It’s a lightened, pinked lilac with a satin finish (and it almost looks matte, but there’s a very fine shimmer to it). Urban Decay Heartless is lighter, more firmly in the pink-colored camp. NARS Bouthan #1 has a matte finish, so it’s a bit closer, but it is lighter and pinker.

It seemed promising when I swatched it initially, because the color payoff was fairy good, but the texture was so soft that it turned dusty/powdery. The result when I applied it to the lid was that it was very, very prone to disappearing; it would sheer out too quickly and my lid just seemed to absorb the color. I’ve had this happen with eyeshadows that apply thinly and have a lot of powderiness to them; I feel like they act a bit like blotting powder on my eyelids! Over a primer, it was marginally better, but I still couldn’t get the color to look like it did on the pan–it looked faded and generally lighter. Without a primer, the wear was dismal–noticeable fading after a mere six hours.

For reference, it also appears in Benefit’s Sexiest Nudes Ever Palette–I make a point to mention that, because the palette itself is $30 but contains three other eyeshadows along with two Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows; more or less, unless you really hate the other products, it’s hard to justify $20 for one eyeshadow when you could be paying $30 and receiving six different products.

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Eyeshadow

Benefit Pause for Applause Longwear Powder Shadow (middle of lid)
(also using Benefit Pinky Swear, Raincheck, Quick, Look Busy)